I'm not losing. Plateau?

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Erin_Noelle
Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm Erin! :) I've been using myfitnesspal for a while now on my phone and I had no clue that there was this whole community on here, which is wonderful. So I'm just a few days shy of it being 3 months that I started on my journey. I've managed to lose 53 pounds but I'm not losing anymore. Is this a plateau? What can I do to help change this? I'm open to tips and suggestions. :)
by the way
I'm 20, 5'10 and started at 292 and I'm now 239.

Replies

  • Erin_Noelle
    Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
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    Please feel free to add me on here. :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    A plateau is for several weeks. Just remember that weightloss is not linear. Some weeks will be more, some less, some none at all.
  • Erin_Noelle
    Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
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    I guess my question is why am I not losing any weight at all. I started working out more and I changed what I normally eat and I'm not even losing an ounce. I'm hoping that this is just temporary and I will be back on track to losing very soon. :)
  • DianneP6772
    DianneP6772 Posts: 272 Member
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    53 lbs in 3 months!! Congratulate yourself! Well done. Yes, sounds like a plateau. 10 days ago i landed at a weight that i was overjoyed to see - and i have been at that for 10 days! Patience, right? - i have exercised like crazy and eaten back some of those calories - but no move in 10 days. So yes, discouraging, but its temporary - so i say hang in there. I changed up my exercise somewhat today. I cycle mainly - and today i threw in 5 sprints to up my heartrate - hoping to move that metabolism. Are you exercising? If so, maybe try some kind of change up to see what happens.
  • Chelz2013
    Chelz2013 Posts: 176 Member
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    I took measurements which was great when I hit a plateau, because I still got to see just how many inches I lost in 5 weeks even though I was gaining and losing the same two pounds the whole time.

    Keep it going!

    Some people will probably ask if you've figured out your TDEE or macros and making sure you're eating enough food, especially if you're working out more. I'm not informed enough to give you advice on that yet, so hopefully others will chime in. -- and it may help if you open your food diary to get more advice. :)
  • sweet_blasphemy
    sweet_blasphemy Posts: 129 Member
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    53lbs in 3 months is pretty damn good! Wow! How long have you been stuck at the same weight? Like someone else said, unless it's been weeks on end then it's not really a legit plateau and things should get back on track soon. Heck, I just started out not quite 3 weeks ago and lost 6lbs immediately. Even though I knew it was water weight and it would take longer for actual fat loss to occur, the scale refused to budge for a week and a half and I didn't expect to hit a speed bump so early on, especially since I'd made such drastic changes so quickly. It's totes frustrating, I understand! I was ready to bury the scale in the back of a closet so I wasn't tempted to weight myself every day but I just kept doing my thing and yesterday the scale finally bumped down a few more notches... don't get ready to jump ship yet, keep trudging on and see where you are in a few weeks, then reevaluate. request sent, btw :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I guess my question is why am I not losing any weight at all. I started working out more and I changed what I normally eat and I'm not even losing an ounce. I'm hoping that this is just temporary and I will be back on track to losing very soon. :)

    Because Weightloss isn't linear. Once you get closer to your goal, the slower your progress will be. You've done 50+ lbs in 3 months. Your body is still adjusting to the changes you've made. Relax and stop freaking out about the scale. Have you taken measurements? Pictures? There's other ways to measure progress than just the scale.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    You have lost 53lbs in 3 months. That is amazing. No, you are not in a plateau. You are either retaining water, retaining food waste, or your body is storing extra glycogen and water due to you starting to exercise.
  • KathleenMurry
    KathleenMurry Posts: 448 Member
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    Have you been using the same workout plan since the beginning? 12 weeks is about the life cycle of a training plan. Your body adapts to what you're doing and stops responding. I suggest adding a few new exercises, increase the weight in your strength training and speed up your cardio. HIIT is great for fat loss, too.

    With 53 lbs gone (awesome!) it might also be time to reevaluate your goals and adjust your calorie and macro targets. What you were doing 3 months ago, 53 lbs ago, isn't going to work now. You're a new woman!
  • Erin_Noelle
    Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
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    I'm eating 1200 calories a day. If I exercise more I eat more. :)
  • Erin_Noelle
    Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
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    Thank you for all the post everyone! :) How do I open up my food diary? I had no idea that it was even hidden.
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
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    I lost 67 lbs in 3 months and it has been pretty steady since losing only 3 lbs in the last 2 months but I know why, lack of the ability to exercise due to injury.

    Like others, I have been taking measurements and losing inches since to include finally getting into 36 waist pants comfortably where I started at size 56. I am being patient as people here have told me and awaiting my chance to start again for real without quitting and losing ground by gaining weight back...................... 34 lbs to go
  • Erin_Noelle
    Erin_Noelle Posts: 12
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    My goal is to try and get to 1200, I usually end up landing in the mid 1100. The reason being is that I don't want to go over the 1200 limit and I don't have any healthy filler foods that will get me to 1200. What would you suggest? I'm open to hearing your thoughts on this.
  • Cajuntalk
    Cajuntalk Posts: 1
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    Currently, I'm in a plateau for 3 wks now. It's NO FUN. I've tried increasing my intensity on workouts and one day I even did cardio for 1 hour and 20 minutes and still the scale didn't move. No logic but to say "plateau bites". Just hang in there. I've lost 88 lbs since starting this journey 3 years ago and the important thing to remember is OVERALL PROGRESS. I wish there was a magic tip to tell you to get out of a plateau, but I've tried them all. I would suggest you go to a registered dietician and get the WeightWT test done. It's like on Biggest Loser....a test that measures your "at rest metabolism". Very inexpensive and done in less than 10 minutes. Great way to know YOUR metabolism and how many calories you need per day for weight loss. Once you know better, you do better. I didn't like the guessing game or by a chart for my maximum calories. My metabolism was very low so had I gone by a universal chart....I would be overeating per day.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Ok, so I'm in a similar (weird) situation. I only started using MFP about a month ago, but I have been conciencously exercising more for about 3-4 months (weight was 85 kg when I started). When I first started excercising, I lost 2.5 kg in one week. I got sick a couple of weeks later (just a horrible cold) so had to take a week of excercising, and put that straight back on again. Since then, my weight has been consistently 84-85 kg. *But* here's the weird thing..... my colleagues keep saying they think I've lost weight, and I can fit into clothes that I couldn't fit when I started, and my thighs are thinner. Altogether I am looking a lot thinner, but have not lost *any* weight.

    I have a theory: I hadn't done much excercise at all the last couple of years, due to a knee injury. I used to fence a couple of times a week and compete at the weekends, but after my knee injury I couldn't fence, run, or on some days go up stairs. However, my knee has got better, hence starting the excercise, but during my 2 years off I must have lost muscle as well as putting on fat. My theory is that starting excercise again has caused me to put on muscle, while at the same time losing fat. Since muscle weighs more than fat, I can lose "volume" this way withough losing weight.

    The boyf also thinks this is probably what's happened.

    Has anyone else had a similar experience - i.e. putting on/maintaining weight when excercising but appearing to lose it?
  • lorigreenacres
    lorigreenacres Posts: 1 Member
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    I've enjoyed reading all your posts - it's been very helpful! Thank you!

    I've gone a little over a week without losing any additional weight and was getting worried!! However, now I know I'm not on a plateau, no doing it wrong, not crazy and really I just need to keep doing what I'm doing.... maybe tweak things a little - but don't give up and make major changes (which at the scale this morning I was determined to do).

    Thanks!
  • lindseydavis07
    lindseydavis07 Posts: 64 Member
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    I’m having the same issue, I’ve lost 37 pounds in a little over 2 months but suddenly stopped losing, it’s been about a week and a half with no change! I am either retaining water or have hit a Plateau... I hope it’s just water retention and will see the scale start to move again soon. Good Luck!!

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